Talking Angela app debate spurs judgements

There’s a lot of attention right now on the Talking Angela iOS and Android app. Concerns about this app have been rumbling on for some time now, with warnings that the app is dangerous for children to play. Now the Talking Angela app debate has spurred judgements on this.

We first wrote about the Talking Angela app a year ago when a Facebook scare had erupted, warning parents against letting their kids use the app. The fake warning about the app said that kids were being asked information about themselves but when we tested the app ourselves we couldn’t find anything wrong with Talking Angela at all.

There was a mixed response to this with some readers loving the app and saying that the warnings were scaremongering. However, other readers insisted the app was dangerous, saying the content was unsuitable for kids. Further to this in October last year we reported on the continued debate about the app, as there were still claims that children were being asked inappropriate questions.

Lately the discussion about the app has heated up again, with Talking Angela being a hot topic once more. An article on Product Reviews has come up with some interesting insight into this though, and says that these warnings appear to be malicious hoaxes that are simply untrue.

Internet rumours site Snopes.com has reached a verdict after looking into this app and found that the scares about the app are unfounded and that the app “appears to be entirely benign.” The site found that there were “no obvious privacy concerns” that would distinguish Talking Angela from many other popular apps for children and judged the claims against the app as false.

As further evidence, security company Sophos also previously said that the warnings about the Talking Angela app are hoax, and says that a year on another scare about the app is doing the rounds on Facebook. This seems to knock the fake warnings about the app well and truly on the head. It’s also worth noting that the developers of the app, Out Fit7, have released other apps similar to Talking Angela without any issues being raised.

Have you checked out the Talking Angela app, and if so have you ever found anything to concern you about it? Maybe because of the fake warnings you have purposely not downloaded this app but might now take a look for yourself? We’re really interested to hear what readers think about Talking Angela so please do send us your comments.

I read the facebook warning today and asked my 12 year old daughter if she had the app on her ipod and she said she used to but she deleted it because it started asking asking her personal questions and when she said she wasn’t going to answer it kept asking her why she would not answer. It asked her questions about her parents and it asked for her full name and if she was planning on going out anytime soon. My daughter is EXTREMELY smart for 12. She knew right away something wasn’t right. She said it was smarter than most apps and it was odd how a real conversation could be carried on with an app. Mostly she thought it odd that it wouldn’t take no for an answer. I have no doubt this app is NOT GOOD FOR KIDS!! By the way…Snopes is about as trustworthy as our government. Think about that for a while.

Jimmy_Jangle

“Snopes is about as trustworthy as our government”

Care to elaborate on that, any evidence to corroborate your claim?

No? Didn’t think so.

micnlin

It’s run by a Liberal couple out of CA, who just research claims like anyone else would, except with a heavy left lean. That’s enough “proof” for me and a whole lotta other people who know it’s BS, especially when it comes to politics.

Jimmy_Jangle

Christ alive. None of that is evidence, that’s your own bias exposing your rant as the flawed raving it is.

So, let me get this straight; you question a site, which is a touchstone for anyone with an iota of common sense, based on your own political agenda? What does left/right leaning have to do with debunking urban myths and general misinformation?

And to think I was prepared to take you seriously….

Oh, by the way:

“FactCheck noted that Barbara Mikkelson was a Canadian citizen (and thus unable to vote in US elections) and David Mikkelson was an independent who was once registered as a Republican.”

Yeah, as left as you can get….

micnlin

Look, this may shock you, but I really do not care what you think about me or snopes or the fact that this app is NOT GOOD FOR KIDS. Which IS what the point of this whole thing was, remember? The only thing you need to take away from this, is that although snopes says this app is safe for kids, it is NOT. Have a nice day.

Jimmy_Jangle

Why is it not? It’s no worse than what your precious little angels are probably talking about with other children that age; the fact that it’s an automated computer program having a conversation with your child (however ‘inappropriate’ it may appear), if anything suggests that it’s only replying to what your child is typing initially. There is nobody at the other end of the communication, which limits the app. If this truly was the tool of evil you so myopically have made it out to be, this would’ve have been removed a long time ago. But it hasn’t, therefore your argument holds no water.

You’re either incredibly naive, sheltered or forgot what you did as a child to think that a young person wouldn’t consider for one second typing ‘rude’ words to see what response they receive. This is what children always have and will continue to do, push boundaries where they can.

And please, cease with the unnecessary capitalisation, it only serves to make you look like the swivel-eyed loon you serve to portray.

Marie35

Take several snap shots of the cat’s screen while you are talking to her, then go into your photos, edit your snap shots, zoom in on the cats eyes…you will see shadows of people, possibly a room, possibly things you don’t want to see…but don’t stop there…keep editing using the red eye editing icon…but you have to keep tapping all over the snap shot picture over and over until you can make it begin working…you will also see a smiley face at the top of the snap shot, you have to tap it a lot over and over…if you do it enough it will black out the smiley face and you can see the light of a camera beaming through. People are looking at you from different camera’s all over the cat and the cats scenery! This app has been hacked and a real investigation needs to take place. I have seen a room in the cats eyes including a dog and its dog bowls…I wouldn’t just be making that up…I do have better things to do in life. I am a concerned mother who took action to do my own investigating after hearing all the stuff regarding this app. While taking the time myself to investigate this app my opinion is that I truly believe the negative comments regarding this app are true, they are not rumors, or someone just making up scary things to get people in a panic. You should check it out for yourself. I am very educated woman and I majored in Criminal Justice at very well known university. Another concern to me is the people that are so involved in saying this app is so great and so harmless to the extent of getting terrible and hateful attitudes about it are really making me wonder what involvement they may have with this app, considering there are more than just 1 or 2 people behind these camera’s in this app itself. There is a possibility that these people truly believe this app is harmless because they may not be educated enough in investigating things on the internet with the depth and knowledge that is needed. I don’t understand how people can so strongly state their opinion of this app being “safe”… if these people do not have the true knowledge of investigating stuff on the internet to truly know if an app is safe or not safe then why the strong “safety” comments?Though these people are strongly stating how safe this app is…do they really know? Do they truly know for a fact this app is safe? Or is the strong statements of “safety” regarding this app being made only because none of the vulgar remarks have been said to them or their children through this app? Because they had no idea of what this app is truly capable of doing as far as the photos and information taken down by the hackers…who now also has your location and IP address as well…and any other knowledge they may need to be able to do harm to you and your family. These people making these strong “safety” comments regarding this app need to investigate this as thoroughly as they possibly can before putting out there to these families that this app is so safe…why put something lime that when truly do not know! These are families trying to protect their children not trying to destroy some app their children were playing…come o people…use your brains! There’s plenty of apps out there if someone wants to just be malicious about an app! Here is my opinion with using the fullest investigation resources I possibly could doing it myself…this app is not safe from what I have investigated, I must agree there is something and someone behind this app without a doubt. You don’t have to believe me but from what I have seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears…this app is dangerous period!

Robin Salvadori Allison

Unfortunately my tablet died, so I can’t go look for hidden objects within the pixels of the cat’s eyes, but just as a point….you can’t use a camera from the screen of someone’s tablet. There are aps that can use the camera built into your tablet or computer, but you simply set your permissions to deny that and you’re generally good. But pictures on the screen can’t take pictures, it doesn’t work that way.
I did have one of those virtual conversational aps on my tablet. It tended to occasionally come up with rather rude or suggestive comments, but it was very obviously not a person. I’d think that Google or whoever has Talking Angela in their stores for download would be whom to contact with concerns. The fact that there has been a huge controversy and the ap is still available makes me suspect it is a normal AI program with some phases that the devs ought to change or delete just to make the controversy go away.
But you are likely seeing pictures in the cat’s eyes the same way you might see the Virgin Mary on a piece of burnt toast. I also suspect you are someone who allows their education about criminals to see criminal activity in mundane normal things.
I won’t brag on education, just state that my FB friends use me before they check Snopes much of the time. I do apparently have more knowledge about tablets and cameras than you do. I can’t 100% say this is safe, not having access to the ap. The ap will gather whatever info you’ve granted permission for it to. If you have your location on, it gets that. If you don’t want it to have location, turn it off. I can’t count the number of panicky friends I’ve had on FB afraid of stalkers and internet rapists “finding them” who would post status updates as they went out bar hopping with their movements being tracked and posted for the world the whole time. Or I’d notice their phone number was set to public and they hadn’t even noticed.

Jimmy_Jangle

Exactly Robin. This is why people can’t have nice things. Thick people always come along and bray about things of which they have no concept of how they work..

derrek

jimmy, get a life and stay off the internet forever. if you don’t like what these people have to say, don’t read them. all I saw was you on every. single. comment. now I am not on anyone’s side, because I haven’t witnessed any of this stuff. now, you seem like you’re older than me, due to the educated words; but if you like this game I don’t know, you need help or something. remember what they say, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.” well you’re not living by this and you really need to. no one cares about your opinion and what you need to say, so just shut your trap and keep your rants to yourself because really, it’s annoying. you’re one of the many souls on this earth that I just do not care for, and literally could just hit. you’re irrelevant to me, and I’m done wasting my time on your uselessness.

Jimmy_Jangle

Wow, you really are a prize bell-end aren’t you?

Nice failure on your part to see the irony in “if you don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all”

Nothing in that post was of any benefit to anyone, save your own precious little internet tough-guy persona.

I’ve never played the game, and don’t intend to. If my children want to play it, then sure, I’d do my research to see if it’s suitable. That’s called being a responsible parent, you cretin.

If no one cared about opinions, we wouldn’t be able to use Disqus on here, you want no freedom of speech? F**k off to North Korea you helmet.

Seriously, the best part of you ran down your mother’s thigh after you were born.

Jimmy_Jangle

You’re the 21st Century equivalent of the village idiot that sees faces in the fire. You don’t deserve access to modern technology.

SHELLU

Am i the only one who can see the house and guy in her eyes? This is not a hoax it is true because if malware exists then this can too it is all other the internet and social networks it asked me what my name was how old i was and stuff like that and why would an app ‘randomly automated’ ask me where i live? LOOK AT THE APP STORE REVIEWS IT IS A DISGUSTING AND INNAROPRIATE HACKER APP

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